Pocket clip for pencils or the like formed from a wire coil

ABSTRACT

A pocket clip for pencils, or similar articles, is formed from a helical coil of spring wire by twisting two or more end turns of the coil about a common location on the helix so that they comprise respective actuator and clipping elements when the main portion of the helix is positioned on the pencil body.

United States Patent [191 [1 1 3, 60,462

Osborne Sept. 25, 1973 [54] POCKET CLIP FOR PENCILS OR THE LIKE 865,981 9/1907 Schneider 24/1 I C FORMED FROM A WIRE COIL [76] Inventor: Calvin Eugene Osborne, Rt. 6, primary E G M porlenza Cookevllle, Tenn- 38501 Assistant Examiner-Jerold M. Forsberg 22 Filed: Jan. 25 972 Attorney-George H. Mitchell, Jr.

[21] Appl. No.: 220,614

[57] ABSTRACT [52] US. Cl. 24/11 C, 24/81 C [51,] Int. Cl. B43k 25/00 A k t clip for pencils, or similar articles, is formed [58] Field of Search 224/5 A, 5 R, 5 C, f a heligal il f spring wire by twisting two or 224/5 5 E, 5 26 26 B, 8 D, 28 28 more end turns of the coil about a common location on R; 140/82, 103; 24/11 C, 261 AC, 81 C, 81 PH the helix so that they comprise respective actuator and clipping elements when the main portion of the helix is References. Cited positioned on the pencil body.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 809,135 1/ 1906 Reesor 24/11 C 6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures POCKET CLIP PENCILS OR THE LIKE FORMED FROM A WIRE COIL point pen, or the liketo a strip'of sheet material such as the outer flap of a shirt, or coat, pocket. Obviously, a clip of this type can also be used to attach articles of the type in question to any other kind of sheet material,

such as a display card.

A feature of the invention is the fact that the clip can be easily fabricated from stock materials, and in sizes capable of use with articles of various diameters merely by selecting a'coil of spring wire having a diameter capable of loosely encircling the elongated body of the article with which it is to be used and twisting two or more of the end turns beyond the elastic limit of the wire to complete the clip.

While the aforementioned deformation of a coiled spring wire helix is suggested as a preferred way in which the invention can be practiced, it is also possible, by means of automatic machinery, to form a clip as disclosed herein by initially winding a length of spring wire in a form which resembles the product produced by the deformation of the spring wire helix.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the following specification in connection with the annexed drawings, in which:

In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a perspective view ofa preferred form of clip made in accordance with the invention and attached to a pencil for clipping the pencil to the flap of a pocket; FIG. 2 is a side elevation of clip of FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 show progressive stages in the formation of the clip from a wire helix.

From an examination of the drawings it will be observed that an elongated article, such as a pencil is secured to the flap 11, of a coat, or jacket, pocket by means of a clip, indicated generally by numeral 12. This clip is formed by suitable manipulation of a coil of wire to provide a cylindrical body portion 13 which loosely encircles the pencil having an integrally formed actuator portion 14 projecting outwardly from the pencil at an acute angle thereto and a clip portion 15, preferably comprising only a single turn of wire, which is stressed inwardly toward the side of the pencil to grip the pocket flap 11 between the clip and pencil.

In making the clip, a multi-turn coil of spring wire 13, as shown in FIG. 3, may be employed and, in a preferred method of manufacture, the end turn 14 may first be bent backwardly a sufficient amount beyond the elastic limit of the wire such that when released it will assume a position lying outside of the main body of the helix and at an angle less than that of a plane parallel with the rest of the turns as shown in FIG. 4. Next, the second turn 15 will be bent outwardly beyond the elastic limit of the wire away from the remainder of the helix turns, but at the same location 16, at which the bending of the actuator'portion took place. The displacement of the second turn, however, should not exceed an amount which will cause the turn 15 to be disposed at an angle less than 90 with respect to the planes of the adjacent turns of the body portion 13 when released to its unstressed condition as shown in FIG. 5. This bending of the second turn 15 also causes a corresponding change in the angular relationship bea tween the actuator portion 14 and the remainder of the helix, the turn 14 preferably being arranged generally parallel with the main helix turns 13, when the clip portion returns to its unstressed position.

The advantage of this relationship is that when the body portion 13 of the helix is slipped over the end of the pencil in loosely encircling relationship, the clip portion 15 must be twisted angularly away from the end of the main coil about the pivot axis 16 in order to allow the body of the pencil to pass beyond the clip. This causes the clip portion to be placed under stress, which urges the portion of clip 15 opposite to the pivot location to bear against the side of the pencil, as shown in FIG. 2. In addition, this displacement of the clip 15, also causes the associated actuator portion 14 to turn about the pivot location 16 so as to adopt a position at an acute angle with respect to the main coil 13. At the same time, the actuator portion will lie entirely on the opposite side of the pivot 16 from the clip portion, so that when pressure is exerted by the user in the direction of the pencil body, as by squeezing the pencil and actuator together between two fingers of the hand, this action will cause the clip to be lifted out of contact with the side of the pencil as indicated by the dotted lines of FIG. 2.

While the main body 13 of the helix is shown in the drawings to consist of some six turns, it will be obvious that the number of turns could be either increased, or decreased. Thus, it is conceivable that the device might include only a single turn of wire encircling the article, or that more than one turn might be included in the ac,- tuator portion but, from a practical standpoint, as far as positioning the clip on the article with which it is to be used, it is preferable for the main body portion of the helix to include at least three or four turns.

Furthermore, while for convenience the device has been described in the specification as being for use with a pencil, it should be obvious that many other similar small elongated objects are in use which are customarily carried in the pocket and which could be secured in place by means of the clip described and claimed herein. Objects of this type include pens, tire gauges, thermometers, screwdrivers, radio circuit tuning devices, etc. Therefore, the use of the word pencil" in the claims is not intended to be limiting but as exemplaryof a class of articles of similar nature having elongated bodies of circular, or polygonal, cross-section.

I claim: I

1. A pocket clip for pencils or similar elongated articles, comprising an integrally formed continuous spring wire helix defining a cylindrical body portion, a circular actuator portion and a circular clip portion, said actuator portion including at least one circular turn of wire disposed normally in a plane generally parallel with the planes of the turns comprising the body portion but offset tangentially to one side thereof, said clip portion including at least one circular turn of wire disposed tangentially to said actuator portion and the end turn of the body portion and lying normally in a plane disposed at an acute angle with respect to the plane of a turn comprising the body portion, the wires forming the actuator and clip portion comprising continuation of the turns of wire forming the body portion, said clip portion being placed under stress and deflected to an angle approaching with respect to a turn of the body portion when a pencil is inserted through the body portion, and the actuator portion being deflected to an acute angle with respect to the inserted pencil when the clip portion is so stressed.

2. A pocket clip as defined in claim 1, wherein said body portion is adapted to loosely encircle the article to be secured, the diameter of said helix being such that when the body portion encircles the article said clip portion will be disposed in a stressed condition in a plane disposed at an angle with respect to a turn of the body portion greater than the angle of the clip when unstressed.

3. A pocket clip as defined in claim 1, wherein said body portion is adapted to loosely encircle the article to be secured, said clip portion being stressed against one side of said article when the body portion encircles the article, said actuator being disposed at an acute angle with respect to the axis of the article when the clip is so stressed.

4. A pocket clip as defined in claim 3, wherein said actuator portion, clip portion and one turn of the body portion are disposed generally tangent to each other at one location at all positions, such location defining a pivotal connection between the clip and body portion.

5. A pocket clip as defined in claim 4, wherein said clip portion comprises only a single turn of wire.

6. A pocket clip as defined in claim 5, wherein said body portion comprises at least three turns of wire. 

1. A pocket clip for pencils or similar elongated articles, comprising an integrally formed continuous spring wire helix defining a cylindrical body portion, a circular actuator portion and a circular clip portion, said actuator portion including at least one circular turn of wire disposed normally in a plane generally parallel with the planes of the turns comprising the body portion but offset tangentially to one side thereof, said clip portion including at least one circular turn of wire disposed tangentially to said actuator portion and the end turn of the body portion and lying normally in a plane disposed at an acute angle with respect to the plane of a turn comprising the body portion, the wires forming the actuator and clip portion comprising continuation of the turns of wire forming the body portion, said clip portion being placed under stress and deflected to an angle approaching 90* with respect to a turn of the body portion when a pencil is inserted through the body portion, and the actuator portion being deflected to an acute angle with respect to the inserted pencil when the clip portion is so stressed.
 2. A pocket clip as defined in claim 1, wherein said body portion is adapTed to loosely encircle the article to be secured, the diameter of said helix being such that when the body portion encircles the article said clip portion will be disposed in a stressed condition in a plane disposed at an angle with respect to a turn of the body portion greater than the angle of the clip when unstressed.
 3. A pocket clip as defined in claim 1, wherein said body portion is adapted to loosely encircle the article to be secured, said clip portion being stressed against one side of said article when the body portion encircles the article, said actuator being disposed at an acute angle with respect to the axis of the article when the clip is so stressed.
 4. A pocket clip as defined in claim 3, wherein said actuator portion, clip portion and one turn of the body portion are disposed generally tangent to each other at one location at all positions, such location defining a pivotal connection between the clip and body portion.
 5. A pocket clip as defined in claim 4, wherein said clip portion comprises only a single turn of wire.
 6. A pocket clip as defined in claim 5, wherein said body portion comprises at least three turns of wire. 